Powerful Portraits
Focus on clothing, body language, and expression as you portray people in the realistic style of American portraitist John Singer Sargent.
1. John Singer Sargent's primary focus was on portraiture, using a minimal background to showcase his model. Read information about his artistic career, travel, and powerful painting style.
2. Collect magazine pictures of people in the uniform of their profession or favorite activity, such as a doctor, politician, or skateboarder. Look closely at the clothing these people wear. How does their body language relate to their career or activity? Choose one person as the subject of your painting.
3. On construction paper, use Crayola® Construction Paper™ Crayons to begin your portrait, including details such as hair and facial features. Include visual hints about the model in their clothing, pose, and gestures.
4. Cover a table top with recycled newspaper. Use Crayola Washable Paint and Paint Brushes to finish your portrait. In Sargent's style, include a simple, color field background to highlight your portrait. Dry on a flat surface.
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.
Crayola Washable Paints—Not for use as body/face paint.
- Instead of working from a magazine photo, create a portrait using a live model. Ask a friend to pose for you, wearing their favorite clothing, while you draw or paint them against a simple background.
- Sargent was known for his portraits of presidents, the aristocracy, and tycoons, as well as for his portraits of gypsies, tramps, and street people. Paint two portraits of one person, changing the clothes and gestures to reflect different circumstances.
- Find more information about one of the people in Sargent's portraits. Write and present a brief report on that person. Why did Sargent paint the person's portrait? What did the individual think of it?
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